


Life in the Married Lane

by legally_blonde



Category: Fast and the Furious Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2015-05-29
Packaged: 2018-03-22 04:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3714580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legally_blonde/pseuds/legally_blonde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brian O'Conner and Mia Toretto are finally settled into the domestic life that they've never experienced. Mia thinks it's perfect, but Brian feels as if something is missing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Almost Perfect

            Brian O’Conner leaned back in his seat on the porch swing that hung from the beach house he bought with Mia after finally leaving their old life behind. After finding out that Dom and Letty secretly married – which Mia was not happy about because she wanted to be there – Brian and Mia decided it was best to move out of the old house and get a place of their own.

            “Jack is fast asleep in his ‘big boy bed’ and Sofia is mesmerized by her race car mobile,” Mia said as she placed the baby monitor on the table and sat down next to Brian, cuddling into his side.

            Sofia Gisele was born just three months ago, and already she had Brian wrapped around her tiny finger. Whenever she makes a peep, Brian is right by her crib and lifting her gently into his arms. Mia smiled slightly as she looked at her boyfriend’s face and realized he was staring into another world.

            “You’re not thinking about those bullets again, are you?” she joked, but held her breath as she waited for his answer.

            “Of course not,” he shook his head and gave her a genuine smile. “The domestic life is the life for me, the life for us.”

            “You’re serious?”

            “Of course I am,” Brian said as he wrapped his arm around Mia and pulled her closer. “We have our family, our freedom. What else could I want?”

            “You don’t miss the fast life? The danger, the racing?”

            “Sometimes,” he said honestly. “But we have Race Wars when the itch comes.”

            “Not exactly family friendly,” she smirked. “Sounds like we have the perfect life, Mr. O’Conner.”

            “Almost perfect, Ms. Toretto,” he said as he turned to face her. “Just one more thing would be the cherry on top.”

            “What?”

            “Marry me,” he said as he held her hand in his.

            “We don’t have to get married, Brian.”

            “I know, but I want to. That is, if you want to marry me.”

            “This isn’t just to one-up my brother because him and Letty got married without any of us knowing?” she asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

            “Maybe,” he joked. “You’re the mother of my children, you’re the only woman I ever want to be with. If you don’t want to get married, that’s fine, but I want more than anything for you to make an honest man out of me.”

            “You’re the most honest man I know, O’Conner,” she said with a laugh as she felt tears well up in her eyes. “If you’re going to do this right, you better have a ring.”

            “You underestimate me, babe,” he said with a smile as he got down on one knee and pulled out a small black box that encased a stunning, but simple, diamond ring that Mia instantly fell in love with. “Mia Toretto, will you marry me?”

            “Yes,” she said as she held out her hand for Brian to place the ring on. “It’s beautiful.”

            “Jack helped me out,” he said as he sat back down and pulled Mia into his lap. “He pointed at that one and said ‘Mommy’ so I knew it was the one.”

            “My boys have good taste,” she laughed as she wiped away tears. “I can’t believe we’re going to get married.”

            “I’m sure everyone will say it’s about damn time.”

            “I always knew you were mine,” she said as she ran his fingers through his short hair. “I never needed the ring or the wedding to know that. However, it’s very nice to have.”

            “I love you Mia,” he said as he rested his forehead against hers. “More than you know.”

            “I think I have an idea,” she whispered as she leaned down to kiss him.      

* * *

            They decided to start planning the wedding that night, not wanting to wait very long to get married and they didn’t want an extravagant ceremony; just something simple with their family.

            “How awkward do you think it’ll be asking Elena to be one of my bridesmaids,” Mia asked as she stretched out her legs on the swing and rested her feet in Brian’s lap. “She saved Jack in Spain and I still keep in touch with her.”

            “You think it’ll be awkward because she was with Dom while Letty was still alive and married to him, even though we never knew about it?”

            “Yeah,” she nodded. “I don’t have many girl friends.”

            “You should ask her. I don’t think there’s any bad blood between any of them. She told Dom to find Letty, she knew what could happen.”

            “That’s a good point.”

            “I think the most awkward part of this whole thing will be telling everyone, including Dom.”

            “You didn’t tell him you were planning to propose?” she asked, her eyes widening in shock. “He might kill you. I won’t let it happen, but he might try.”

            “I wanted just us to have this moment. He kept his moment to himself for years, I think it’s only fair.”

            “I do like that this is just between us right now,” she smiled. “You need to tell him soon though.”

            “Tomorrow,” Brian said. “Let’s have tonight.”

            “Okay.”

            “We should celebrate,” he said as he shifted her legs so he could lie down on top of her.

            “And how do you think we should celebrate?” she smirked as she shift down on the swing and rested her arms around his shoulders, her hands playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

            “I think I have an idea,” he began placing kisses along her neck and collarbone.

            “Let’s just not go for baby number three tonight. Two is good for now.”

            “Couldn’t agree more.”


	2. Announcements

            Mia couldn’t see this ending well. She stood in the kitchen of Dom and Letty’s newly renovated house and watched her brother and her boyfriend – correction, _fiancé_ – in the garage, forever working on Dom’s Charger. How that car has survived what is has over the years, she’ll never understand. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she watched them interact, hoping she could sense when Brian was going to tell him the news so she could intervene if needed. Despite thinking of Brian as a brother after all these years, and contributing to the creating of his beautiful niece and handsome nephew, Dom could still see Brian as the buster who fell for his baby sister and he wouldn’t hesitate knocking Brian out cold. Mia needed him conscious.

            “You look like you’re waiting for another explosion to happen,” Letty said, startling Mia and causing her to drop the plate she was washing off, watching as it shattered across the kitchen floor. “I was only kidding, girl. Relax.”

            “There might be an explosion,” Mia sighed as she squatted down to clean up the mess. “Just not the type courtesy of Deckard Shaw. More like a famous Toretto explosion.”

            “Dom and O’Conner?” Letty asked as she bent down to help and Mia nodded in response. “Over what? I don’t think they’ve gone at it in years.”

            “Well that’s because Dom’s been somewhat involved in every big announcement in our relationship. He might not be too happy he wasn’t clued in on this one,” Mia grumbled.

            “What, did the buster not ask Dom if it was okay to propose?” Letty joked but stopped smiling when she saw the look on Mia’s face. “There might be an explosion.”

            “It was so romantic, Letty,” Mia gushed, a huge smile forming on her face. “I know you’re not big on romance, but the way he did it was so sweet and unexpected. And I love that it was just between the two of us for the night.”

            “Dom would be a huge hypocrite. We got married with no one around us except the minister in the Dominican Republic. He didn’t even have a ring. Did Brian at least give you a ring?”

            “Yeah, he did,” she said, sticking her left hand out so Letty could get a good look at it. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

            “Not bad,” she shrugged, but smirked. “We’ll have dinner and a show tonight.”

            “Let’s hope not,” Mia groaned. “When are the rest getting here?”

            “Soon,” Letty said as she swept up the rest of the broken glass. “I think we got it all up, but probably shouldn’t let Jack into the kitchen tonight.”

            “Okay. I think I just heard the gate open,” Mia said as she walked into the living room and saw Jack coloring in his coloring book on the coffee table. A _Cars_ coloring book, to be specific, since it was his favorite movie – typical. “Uncle Roman and Uncle Tej are here, Jack.  Ready to come outside?”

            “Yeah, Uncle Roman is funny!” Jack giggled as he ran over to his mom and hugged her legs.

            “Oh yeah, super funny,” Letty rolled her eyes as she picked him up. “Come on Jacky-Boy.”

            Mia cradled Sofia in her arms as she walked into the yard and smiled at the scene around her. She glanced over at the garage again and noticed the doors were shut. She nervously walked down the stairs and noticed that things were still quiet, so she hoped they would stay that way.

* * *

            “Hey Dom,” Brian said as he anxiously rubbed his Corona between his hands. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

            “Is my baby sister pregnant again?” Dom asked without looking up from the engine he was working on.

            “No,” Brian smiled. “We’re good at two. For now anyway.”

            “Jack and Sofia will be like me and Mia growing up,” Dom said as he placed the wrench on his tool bench and leaned against his car. “So what is it?”

            “Mia and I are engaged. We’re getting married. I proposed last night,” Brian said quickly and winced as he waited for Dom’s fist to connect with his jaw. When he opened his eyes and saw Dom was still leaning against the car with an unreadable expression on his face, he went into overdrive. “I planned on talking to you about it, but I had the ring last night and it was the perfect moment and I couldn’t help myself. I love her more than anything, Dom. Plus, you and Letty got married without anyone knowing for years, so I think we can have a night with the secret.”

            “You done, O’Conner,” Dom asked when Brian finally went silent. “Congratulations.”

            “You’re not going to punch me in the face?”

            “Would you like me to? I can, because it would have been better if you let me in on the fact you were going to propose to my baby sister,” he said, raising his eyebrow as he looked at his friend.

            “Not really. Mia might not be too happy about that either. There’d be a lot of explain to Jack, too.”

            “I know how much you love her, and you’re already my brother. Might as well make it legal,” Dom shrugged. “You’ve always been apart of his family, but welcome again.”

            “Thanks,” Brian said as he hugged him. “I’d like you to be my best man, but I think Mia wants you to give her away.”

            “I’m a man of many talents,” Dom said with a smirk as he began to open up the doors again and saw the look of relief on Mia’s face when she saw them unharmed. “Maybe I should have given you a black eye, just to make sure I haven’t gone soft.”

            “No, you shouldn’t have,” Mia said, finally hearing them. “I broke a plate because I was so nervous I’d be calling an ambulance for my fiancé.”

            “Fiancé,” Brian repeated as he took Sofia from Mia and smiled down at his daughter. “Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it, fiancée?”

            “This is why we married in secret,” Letty said as she wrapped her arms around Dom’s waist and made a look of disgust. “That Lovey-dovey crap is nauseating.”

            “Did I hear fiancée?” Roman asked as he walked over from the barbeque. “Who’s getting married?”

            “Who do you think?” Tej yelled as he flipped the burgers, rolling his eyes. Ramsey started giggling next to him. “You’d think a brain would be behind that big ass forehead of yours.”

            “We’re engaged,” Mia announced excitedly as she held up her left hand to show off the engagement ring, not like any of the guys surrounding her would care too much.

            “Congratulations, you two. About damn time,” Tej said and Roman nodded in agreement.

            “Proud of you, man,” Roman said, clapping Brian on the back. “You moved on from the fast life. Fast cars, fast girls, fast planes.”

            “That have to be equipped with adult diapers because we all know how much you enjoy fast cars and fast planes,” Tej smirked.

            “Separately!” Roman yelled. “I never said I enjoyed them together. If ya’ll just left my ass up in the plane, things would have turned out just fine.”

            “And you wouldn’t have ruined your pants or the leather seats,” Dom said and Letty laughed.

            “Man, I hate you all,” Roman grumbled. “Just trying to congratulate my oldest friend for becoming domesticated and shit.”

            “Language,” Mia scolded. “Married life isn’t so bad. A wedding would be a happy celebration.”

            “A happy celebration is pimping out in the club with four models by your sides,” Roman said as he did a dance.

            “Yeah, as long as you don’t pull that birthday line again, that was painful,” Tej said.

            “It really was,” Ramsey agreed.

            “Did it work?

            “Not exactly, no,” she shook her head. “Valiant effort, though.”

            “Not exactly, no,” Tej repeated with a smirk.

            “Just what we needed, a female version of him. I quit, man,” Roman said as he sat down at the table.

            “You can’t quit, man,” Brian said as he pulled out Mia’s chair for her to sit and handed her Sofia. “You have to be one of my groomsmen, and then you can quit.”

            “Best man or no deal,” he negotiated, crossing his arms over his chest. “You had me arrested all those years ago, and we go way back.”

            “Duke it out with him,” Brian said as he gestured toward Dom. “Tej, you want in?”

            “I’m there for you, brother,” he nodded. “I’ll happily stand in the wings.”

            “No more wedding planning,” Letty said, covering her ears. “Can we eat already?”

            “Please, I am starving,” Roman said as he leaned down and grabbed a French fry out of the bowl and swore when saw everyone pointing at him. “Every goddamn time.”

            “You’re going to get that job permanently if you keep cursing around my children,” Mia said, giving him the famous Toretto glare that would scare Hobbes.

            “Sorry,” Roman muttered as he reached out to hold hands and begin grace.

            “Do you regret marrying in secret,” Dom whispered in Letty’s ear.

            “Hell no,” she shook her head. “We didn’t have to deal with this shit, man. Just me and you.”

            “Good,” he smiled, kissing her cheek and turning his attention back to the table.


	3. Date Night

            “Dom,” Mia called out as she let herself into his house. “You home?”

            “Right here,” Dom said as he walked out from the kitchen. “What’s up, Mia?”

            “Wanted to talk to you about something. Is Letty home?” she asked as she placed her bag on the table and took a seat.

            “She’s at the garage,” he told her, taking the seat across from her. “Want me to call her?”

            “No,” she shook her head. “I wanted to run this by you first. I’m thinking of asking Elena to be one of my bridesmaids.”

            “Okay,” Dom said slowly. “What’s this have to do with me?”

            “You dated her and she left Rio for you, and then you left her for Letty. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty awkward situation to me, and I don’t want drama at my wedding.”

            “First, she told me to look for Letty. She said she would do the same if she had the chance. I loved Elena, I still do, but differently from Letty.”

            “I know,” Mia said understandingly. “She just helped me out so much, and saved Jack when Shaw’s team kidnapped me. She’s a good friend, I don’t want to exclude her from my wedding if I don’t have to.”

            “So don’t,” Dom shrugged. “I can see why you and Brian work together so well.”

            “Because we’re awesome?”

            “Because you ramble on about things,” he rolled his eyes, earning a punch in the arm. “Hey!”

            “Watch it, Brian’s been showing me some moves.”

            “Don’t need to hear that again, or else you will be calling an ambulance,” Dom said as he got up from the table. “Are we done here?”

            “Yes,” she sighed dramatically. “Always a pleasure to see you, big brother.”

            “I know it is,” he said as he hugged her. “Do you have plans for tonight?”

            “Going to attempt a date night with Brian and the kids,” she said as she grabbed her bag.

            “Why don’t you bring Jack and Sofia here? Me and Letty can watch them,” Dom offered.

            “Are you sure?”

            “Positive. That’s what family is for.”

            “Thanks Dom,” Mia said, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. “I’ll drop them off around 7.”

* * *

            Mia heard her son’s footsteps before she saw him come into her bedroom. She was finishing her makeup and making sure her hair was all in the right place, knowing it sometimes had a mind of its own.

            “Mommy, you look pretty,” Jack said as he ran up to her and hugged her legs.

            “Thank you, baby,” she said, squatting down to his level. “You excited to go by Uncle Dom and Aunt Letty’s house?”

            “Race car!”

            “I’ll take that as a yes,” she laughed as she picked him up. “You’re going to be a good boy, right? It’ll be you and your sister there.”

            “Yes, Mommy,” he nodded. Mia walked down the hall to the nursery and saw Brian putting together Sofia’s baby bag.

            “They’re staying for a couple of hours, Brian, not a week,” she smirked as she eyed the over-packed baby bag.

            “You never know,” he shrugged. “Always gotta be prepared.”

            “There’s your inner boy scout,” she teased him. “Ready to go?”

            “Yep,” he said, draping the baby bag across his shoulder and grabbed Sofia’s carrier. “Mr. Mom is ready.”

            “You can work a baby bag like no other man I know,” she said and kissed him.

            “Yuck!” Jack said, covering his eyes, causing his parents to laugh.           

* * *

            “It’s been a while since we’ve been out on a date,” Mia said as Brian pulled out her chair for her to sit.

            “We’ve been a little busy,” he smirked. “I’m surprised this place is still around.”

            “I’m just surprised you remembered where we came on our first date.”

            “Of course,” he said. “I meant what I said that night, every word.”

            “I know,” she smiled as she grabbed his hand. “Even though at the time you were the scumbag undercover cop trying to bust my brother and send him back to prison.”

            “I broke him out, didn’t I?”

            “Yeah, yeah,” she laughed. “It all worked out in the end.”

            “Definitely worked out for the best.”

* * *

             Just like their very first date, Mia drove like the crazy woman she is down to the beach. The two of them were lying on the hood of his car, looking up into the night sky.

            “I never thought we’d end up like this,” she said, breaking the silence. “I didn’t think I’d be lying here again with you while my brother watches our two kids.”

            “I just never imagined having a family at all,” Brian admitted. “Wasn’t easy growing up, I didn’t have what you and Dom had.”

            “You have it now,” Mia said as she lifted up on her arm to look down at him. “We’re not going anywhere.”

            “I know,” he said, running his hand through her hair as he leaned up to kiss her. They made out like teenagers until Mia broke away and Brian pouted.

            “We have to be parents now and go pick up our kids,” she said, moving to get off the hood of the car but Brian wouldn’t let her. “Brian, come on.”

            “They’re staying at Uncle Dom’s for the night,” Brian said as he sat up and grabbed her hand. “So we don’t have to be parents for tonight.”

            “Dom and Letty were okay with this?”

            “Of course, why do you think I was packing so much shit for them,” he laughed. “Tonight it’s just you and me.”

            “Might be a little boring,” she said with a small shrug. “Things were exciting when we were on the run, just the two of us.”

            “I’m sure I’ll find a way to keep us entertained,” he smirked as he jumped off the hood and pulled her with him. “Since we’re recreating our first date, I believe there was a certain activity we did in the car.”

            “Really? I don’t recall. Must not have been memorable,” Mia teased him as she walked away.

            “Not memorable, huh?” he said as he pulled her back into him, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing along her neck. “Well, I’ll be sure to make sure this time is plenty memorable.”


	4. Old Acquaintances

"Jack, cars don't fly, sweetie," Mia said as she smiled at her son who was playing with his cars.

"Daddy said he flew a car with Uncle Dom," Jack said simply.

"Only a really special car," Brian said with a smirk as he fed Sofia her bottle. "And you're never allowed to do that."

"Nice touch," Mia rolled her eyes.

They finally had a beautiful day in LA. It wasn't too hot, so they decided to go down to the park and have a picnic. It was still all very new to them that they could do this without worry about the authorities hunting them down.

"This was a good idea," Brian said. "It's nice being able to do this at home."

"I was just thinking the same thing," she said, leaning over to kiss him. As she moved away, she saw Jack's toy car go sailing in the air. "Jack, what did Mommy say?"

"Sorry," he said quietly as he went to go get it.

"I'll go with him," Brian said as he handed Sofia over to Mia and kissed the top of her head. "You got some distance with this one, buddy."

"Brian O'Conner?" a female voice called out. Brian quickly picked up Jack and got defensive; worried that someone was after him. He turned around and relaxed when he saw who called out his name.

"Monica Fuentes," Brian said as he went over to her. "It's been a long time."

"Yes it has," she smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm really good, very happy," he said as he put Jack down and watched as he ran back to Mia. "What brings you to LA?"

"I've been here for about a year, just switching around departments. I was working with the DSS for a while. You're welcome, by the way."

"What exactly am I thanking you for?"

"I brought Hobbs the file on Shaw and his team, which led you back to Letty," Monica explained. "I was hoping he'd bring me on, but no such luck."

"So you've been keeping tabs on us?"

"Just curious to see how you've been doing, Bullitt," she said with a flirty smile as she placed her hand on his arm. He turned around and looked at Mia, who was watching them as she packed up the picnic and was getting ready to leave.

Mia wasn't necessarily jealous. She knew she could trust Brian, but she didn't know this woman and her gut told her she shouldn't like her. Mia let Jack run back to his dad and started to push the stroller toward Brian.

"So," Monica continued. "I was thinking we should get drinks one night, catch up and whatnot."

"Actually," he began to say when Jack crashed into his legs laughing. "Hey buddy."

"Who is this?"

"He's my son," Brian said proudly. "Jack, meet Monica. She's an old friend of Daddy's."

"Hi," he waved shyly as he hid in Brian's neck. Brian felt a hand on the small of his back and knew it was Mia.

"Are you ready to go, babe?" Mia asked, purposely ignoring Monica. "Sofia is starting to get a little fussy."

"Yeah, sure," Brian nodded. "Mia, this is Monica. You remember the agent I told you about when I was in Miami?"

"Oh yes," Mia said brightly. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Brian's fiancée."

"You've definitely made a life for yourself outside of street racing, Bullitt," Monica said. "I never expected you to move past it."

"Yeah, he's done pretty well for a buster," Mia said with a fake smile, throwing his original nickname back at her to end her attempt of flirting with him.

"Now, you're Toretto's sister?" Monica asked and Mia nodded, not sure where she was going with this. "I'm just surprised you two got together romantically after he used you to get close to your brother."

"Mia's always been number one in my life," Brian said as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "We were kind of together when everything went down, and moving on was difficult after what happened, but we worked out in the end."

"Wasn't that difficult," Monica smiled as she remembered their time in Miami.

"A distraction isn't moving on," Mia said sweetly as she dug her nails into Brian's side. "Took a while for us to get to this point, but it was definitely worth the wait."

"That's sweet," Monica said. "Well, it was going running into you. Hopefully it won't be the last time."

"Good to see you," Brian said and Mia nodded. When Monica was a safe distance away, Mia wiped the smile off her face and turned to Brian. "Don't give me that look."

"I don't like her," Mia said as she began to push the stroller to their parked car.

"Apparently she gave the file on Shaw's team to Hobbs. We might not have found Letty if it wasn't for her."

"Yeah, and she told you that so you would feel indebted to her. Just like she kept calling you 'Bullitt' to remind you of your past together."

"Exactly, she's in the past," he said as he folded the stroller and put it in the back while Mia hooked Sofia into her car seat. "You're my present and my future, that's more important."

"Doesn't make me like her."

"You don't have to like her," he sighed. "The chances of us seeing her again are slim."

"I highly doubt that."

* * *

Mia decided to have Sunday dinner at their house that week since the weather had stayed gorgeous and living right on the beach had its perks. She had invited Elena, Hobbs, and his daughter and was glad to see they had shown up. She could still see the slight awkwardness between Elena and Dom, but they were doing their best to ignore it and make the best of the situation.

"As long as Tej doesn't burn the food it should be ready soon," Roman called out, earning a smack from Tej.

"I don't burn the damn food, man. I don't know where that came from."

"Everything looks delicious, Mia," Elena said as she walked into the kitchen. "Thank you for inviting me."

"You're family," Mia said simply. "Speaking of family, I have something to ask you. I would love it if you would like to be one of my bridesmaids."

"Really?" Elena said excitedly before stopping. "I don't want to make things uncomfortable for Dom and Letty."

"Please, it's my wedding. They'll be on their best behavior," Mia reassured her. "You've done so much for me and my family, it wouldn't feel right not having you there."

"I would love to be one of your bridesmaids then," Elena said as she hugged Mia.

"Now that that's out of the way, we have a lot to catch up on – specifically when you started sleeping with Hobbs."

"What, I," Elena stuttered, almost spitting out her drink. "What makes you think that?"

"I know these things," Mia rolled her eyes as she grabbed the salad bowl. "We'll talk later."

* * *

"You'll never believe who I saw the other day," Brian said as he sat down next to Roman and Tej.

"Deckard Shaw? Because if he busted his ass out of prison already I'm flying to the fucking Arctic," Roman said as he took a sip of his beer, quickly looking around to see if Mia or Jack heard him.

"Monica Fuentes," Brian told them.

"The undercover cop you had a thing for in Miami," Tej asked and Brian nodded. "Damn, how's she looking?"

"Not bad," Brian shrugged.

"Which is code for 'if my fiancée overhears me saying my ex-girlfriend was looking hotter than ever, I might die tonight'," Roman said with a laugh and once again looked for Mia. "Speaking of fiancées."

"She's feeding Sofia inside," Brian rolled his eyes. "She looked good. Mia's still the most beautiful woman in the world, but Monica looked good - and she was never my girlfriend."

"Nice save," Tej laughed. "So what brought her to the West Coast?"

"I'm not sure. Mia doesn't trust her, though."

"Make sure you add smartest woman to her description," Roman told him. "I never trusted her either."

"You admitted it when she took away Verone."

"Bitch had a gun! I would have admitted I was O.J's hitman if I had to."

"With that big ass forehead you would have never gotten away with it," Tej said. "You sure Mia's just not letting the green-eyed monster take hold?"

"No," Brian shook her head. "It is odd for her to be here."

"Guess things had to get interesting again at some point."

* * *

"Hello Agent Hobbs," Mia said sweetly as she walked up next to Hobbs and handed him a beer. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Thank you for invited my daughter and I," he said as he took the beer. "I guess you all aren't so bad for a family of criminals."

"Our records are wiped clean, so technically we're no longer criminals," she smirked.

"Touché."

"I actually have a question about the events that led up to our full pardons, and I'm hoping you can keep this between us for now," she said and he nodded. "What do you know about Monica Fuentes?"

"She gave me the file on Shaw that had Letty's picture."

"I know, she casually tossed the detail into conversation with Brian the other day," Mia sneered.

"She's in LA?"

"Unfortunately. I want to know why after all these years."

"You think she's here for Brian," Hobbs said and Mia nodded. "Any reason you don't think it was just a coincidence you ran into her?"

"It's just all too convenient. We're finally back in the US and getting settled, and all of a sudden she's here? I don't like it."

"She wanted on my team real bad for the Shaw case," Hobbs recalled. "It was a big case and would do wonders for anyone's career to bring in Owen Shaw, but she was too close since she was somewhat involved with Brian years ago. I thought she just wanted the career case, but maybe not."

"What makes you think otherwise?" Mia asked. "I'm in love with the guy, I'm going to be a little hotheaded over this. I need your opinion if I'm just being jealous or not."

"She was working on another equally important case at the time, and was almost close to finishing it when she said she would drop everything to go to London."

"How detailed were our files? Did it say that Brian and I were together?"

"Just strictly criminal histories. She knew you were a Toretto, but she wouldn't have known you and O'Conner were together."

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid," she sighed, starting to feel silly about it all. "I'm not used to being home and not worrying about who's after us. My mind is in overdrive all the time."

"You're a strong, independent woman. I wouldn't say you're being paranoid," Hobbs told her. In the time he knew Mia, she didn't strike him as someone to get extremely jealous like this. "I'll listen around if her name comes up."

"Thanks Hobbs," she said as she kissed his cheek. "By the way, Elena's a keeper."

"Yeah, she is," Hobbs said before realizing what came out of his mouth. "Ah shit."

"Knew it," Mia sang as she walked away.


	5. Blip on the Radar

Mia stood in the middle of the bridal shop in a simple, strapless white gown that she immediately fell in love with. She brought Elena and Letty with her; Sofia was napping in her stroller.

"You look beautiful, Mia," Elena said as she walked over to get a closer look at the gown. "It looks stunning on you."

"She looks great in everything," Letty said, glancing up from her phone.

"I know this isn't your thing, Letty, but thank you for coming. It means a lot to have you here."

"You're my sister, I'll bitch about being here but I'll always be there," she said.

"Brian isn't going to be able to take his eyes off you."

"I don't think he ever has been able to do that," Letty rolled her eyes. "You two are disgusting."

"Yeah, well," Mia said with an annoyed tone.

"Who is Monica?" Elena asked, picking up on Mia's tone. "Hobbs told me."

"She's an ex-U.S. Customs Agent who was undercover in Miami when Brian was there and they worked together to take down this Verone guy, and that's how Brian and Rome were able to get their records wiped," Mia said as she walked into the dressing room and began to undress. "Brian's told me everything about her and what happened in Miami."

"Her and the buster had a thing?" Letty asked.

"Not exactly," Mia said, stepping out of the dressing room with the dress in hand. "She warned him he was going to get killed,  _she_  kissed  _him_."

"He just admitted to checking her out," Letty said with a smirk. "You gonna believe him?"

"Yes, of course," she said. "And it doesn't even matter, it's in the past. What matters is that she's here for some reason."

"We'll get to the bottom of it," Elena reassured her. "For now, worry about your wedding to your man. I hope you're buying that dress."

"Of course I am," Mia said with a smile. "Time to pick out your bridemaid's dresses."

"If you put me in pink, you won't make it to your wedding," Letty warned.

* * *

"Hope you guys don't mind," Brian said to Dom and Roman as he drove to Jack's school. "Jack gets out in ten minutes and I don't want to be late picking him up. Mia will kill me."

"Nah, we like Jack better than you anyway," Roman said. "Is his teacher hot?"

"Depends," Brian said with a smirk. "Are you into cougars?"

"How old we talking?"

"65."

"I'm good," Roman said. Brian parked in the schoolyard and walked over with Roman and Dom to the door that Jack's class usually comes out off.

"Letty said Mia bought her wedding dress," Dom said as Roman checked out the abundance of moms in the schoolyard. "Says she looks beautiful."

"She'd look beautiful in a garbage bag," Brian said.

"You're in deep, bro," Roman said.

"Since the very beginning," Brian told him. Jack ran over to the three of them when his teacher spotted Brian. "Hey buddy, how was school?"

"Good," he shrugged. "Can we get pizza?"

"Didn't Mommy pack you lunch?"

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry."

"Taking after his Uncle Rome," Roman laughed as he picked Jack up and spun him around in the air, drawing some attention to them. "Pizza it is."

"Yay!" Jack yelled excitedly.

* * *

The four of them were seated in a table in the corner of the restaurant. Jack was happily coloring on the kids menu he was given in between bites of pizza. Roman was at the counter trying to flirt with one of the workers –  _trying_  being the operative word.

"I'm thinking of reopening the market, and maybe the garage," Dom said.

"Nobody bought them while we were gone?"

"Nah, the market was dying over the years and the garage wasn't making us any money. We all fixed our cars there, not too many outsiders came by."

"I think Mia would like that. As for the garage, Tej had the best garage down in Miami and Rome and me were talking about opening one when we were there. Maybe the four of us can make it big."

"Family business," Dom nodded. "I think it'll be good. Things will start getting back to how they were."

"Yeah, just don't start up with the truck hijacking again," Brian said with a smirk.

"Not funny, buster," Dom shook his head. "Looks like Roman found someone willing to listen to him."

"No fucking way," Brian said and quickly looked over at Jack, hoping he didn't hear. "Maybe Mia wasn't wrong."

"You know her?"

"That is Monica Fuentes," Brian said, running his hand along the back of his neck. "Mia and I ran into her the other day at the park and I figured it was just a coincidence, but Mia didn't think so. I'm starting to think the same."

"We don't know that. This is a popular place to eat," Dom said, trying not to jump to conclusions. "Why else would she be here?"

"I really don't know."

"We'll ask Roman when he's done."

* * *

"Roman Pearce, what are you doing out of Miami?" Monica asked as she walked up to the pizza counter, interrupting Roman's conversation with the worker.

"It's a free country. What are you doing out of Miami?"

"It's a free country," she shot back with a smirk. "Everyone decided to stay in LA?"

"Family sticks together. Why are you here?"

"LA offered some new opportunities," she said before turning to the counter person to pick up her order. "I've been here for a while."

"Funny how you've been popping up lately."

"I thought you trusted me?"

"Times change," Roman said defensively. "I really hope you have a legitimate reason for being here."

"Why's that?"

"Because you don't mess with family," he said simply. "Enjoy your lunch, have a marvelous day."

* * *

Brian and Mia were lying in bed together, finally relaxing after their long day. Mia's head was resting on Brian's chest as he ran his fingers up and down her arm.

"You know I love you, right?" Brian said.

"Of course I do."

"You might have been right about Monica," he said. "And I really hate admitting that."

"Your ego will survive," she rolled her eyes. "Why do you say that?"

"She was at the pizza place Dom, Rome, and me took Jack after school. Rome said she was picking up an order, they talked. She didn't say much though."

"Why would she if she has a plan?" Mia said. "Listen, lets not worry about her anymore."

"Just wanted to let you know. I was never worried," he said. "We've had bigger problems and we've gotten past them. Monica is a blip on the radar."

"I just don't want our bigger past problems to become present problems," she said.

"Why would that happen?"

"We've been through so much together, and gotten over the big things. I'm just worried a small problem in the grand scheme of our life like Monica is going to end up putting us over the edge."

"That will never happen," he said, shifting so he was hovering over her. "You never have to worry about anyone else because the only woman who has ever had my attention is you."

"She briefly had it in Miami."

"Barely," he said as he rolled off of her and on to his back. "We've been over this, Mia."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. We were young; I was still upset over what happened. I don't like to think that you weren't missing me as much as I was missing you," she said quietly.

"I thought about you every day. It was a very lonely five years, let's just put it that way," he said with a small laugh. "Looking was the worst that I did."

"Is that why you ambushed me that night in the kitchen," she said with a smirk as she rolled over and straddled his hips.

"I wouldn't say ambush," he said, resting his hands on the curve of her waist. "Like I said, it was a very lonely five years."

"You're not lonely anymore," she said, leaning down to kiss him. "Let's not even think about her anymore until it becomes necessary, deal?"

"Deal."


	6. Blast from the Past

"I'm so glad you decided to do this," Mia said as she walked into what used to be the Toretto market.

"Needs a lot of work," Dom said as he looked around. "But I think we can get it back to its former glory."

"Dad would be proud of you," Mia told him. "We have enough money to do anything and you're choosing to bring back the family business."

"Not so sure he'd be proud where all that money came from."

"Mia, your daughter needs a diaper change," Brian said as he walked in.

"Why is she also my daughter when she poops?" she asked, taking Sofia from Brian.

"Because you're the greatest mother in the world," he said with a grin. "And last time I changed her diaper she had an explosion and I smelled like baby poop for two days."

"Good point," she laughed. "Come on, baby. Daddy's afraid of the big, scary, dirty diaper."

"I'll take the bullets any day," he smirked.

"Pretending like I didn't hear that, O'Conner," she yelled out from the office.

"We're going to have to renovate the whole place," Dom said as he looked around. "Definitely needs to be updated."

"We'll get it started right away. It'll be nice to get back some normalcy."

"Is this the world famous Toretto diner where O'Conner met the future Mrs. O'Conner?" Roman asked as he walked in.

"Feels like I went back in time, like 1950s. Damn," Tej said as he looked around. "We checked on the garage. Needs a ton of work, man."

"Theme of the day," Dom sighed. "You think it's worth it?"

"Hell yeah," Tej nodded. "I checked in on Miami and Suki said the scene isn't as live as it used to be. Would be nice to get things going up here and be able to stick close."

"Lost too many already, don't really wanna separate again," Roman said with a shrug. "Although, I could go back to Monte Carlo. Fine women, big money."

"Monte Carlo isn't big enough for your big ass forehead, bro," Tej said.

"Those forehead jokes are getting real old, real fast," Roman said, shaking his head.

"Now, now, boys," Mia said as she walked out from the office. "Behave, there's children around."

"Because she knows what's being said," Dom said.

"My little princess is extremely observant," Brian said as he took her back from Mia now that she had a clean diaper.

"Yeah, she knows when dad is around so she can take a crap on him again," Dom said with a laugh. "Let's get out of here and start getting estimates."

* * *

They went back to Dom and Letty's for dinner that night. Everyone was in the middle of eating when the sound of a car pulling in front of the house made them turn their heads.

"Are we expecting anyone?" Mia asked as she looked around the table. "Elena and Hobbes were working tonight."

"I don't know," Brian said as he stood up and followed Dom to the end of the driveway.

"Son of a bitch," Dom said. Leon got out of his car and walked over to Dom and Brian.

"It is true. The Toretto's are finally back in town."

"Where the hell have you been?"

"You're asking me that? You've been gone for years," Leon said. "I've been driving up and down the coast, heard you guys were back."

"We've been busy," Brian said, folding his arms across his chest.

"I see the buster is still around. Still trying to get in Mia's pants?"

"That's my baby sister," Dom warned.

"Already been done," Brian said, glaring at him. "And don't talk about my fiancée like that."

"Fiancée? No shit," Leon whistled. "You let the rat into the family?"

"He's gone above and beyond," Dom said. "The same can't be said about you."

"You ran off with Letty, Vince disappeared. What was I supposed to do? I laid low until things cooled down."

"Things never cooled down," Brian said.

"Well maybe I can get filled in," Leon said with narrowed eyes. "Any chance I can come back, catch up with you guys?"

"Today," Dom said after a few minutes of silence. "We'll go from there."

"Fair enough," Leon nodded as he pushed past Brian.

"It's like he took Vince's place," Brian muttered to Dom as they followed him.

"Look who finally came back around," Letty said as the three of them walked back into the yard. "I'll be damned."

"It's been a long time," Leon nodded. "New faces. I'm Leon."

"What's he doing back?" Mia whispered to Brian when he sat back down next to her.

"No idea. He already thinks it's like the old days and thinks I'm just trying to get in your pants."

"Been there, done that," she smirked as she turned his head to kiss him. "Speaking of that, where are the products?"

"Mommy!" Jack yelled through his laughter as Roman ran around with him on his shoulders. "I won!"

"He cheated, typical O'Conner," Roman said with a smirk as he lifted him off his shoulders and handed him to Mia. "We raced."

"That's my boy," Brian said, giving Jack a high-five.

"Mia, you have a kid?" Leon asked, the shock evident on his face. "With the buster?"

"Two, actually," she said with a smile as she laced her fingers through Brian's. "If you don't mind me asking, why exactly did you come back?"

"I was hoping to reconnect," he shrugged. "I missed the team."

"They don't do that anymore," Mia said simply, but sternly. "We're all out."

"Do I even want to know what happened in the past few years?"

"Not enough time in the world to fill you in," Tej said, shaking his head.

"Being back home is a recent development. Let's leave it at that," Dom said.

"Fair enough," Leon nodded. "Have any of you heard from Vince?"

Everyone looked at each other uncomfortably. Brian took a sip of his Corona, wanting to keep his mouth busy to avoid being the one to give the news about Vince. He didn't think it would be appreciated by Leon coming from him.

"Uh, Vince is dead," Dom said. "We found him in Rio. He had a wife and son, Nico."

"He wouldn't have been in Rio if it wasn't for you," Leon said accusingly, pointing at Brian.

"I didn't give up anyone," Brian answered defensively. "I left here after all that shit went down."

"Couldn't stay away, could you? Bet it killed Vince seeing you with Mia."

"You're out of line."

"You don't know out of line."

"Enough," Letty said. "Stop being a dick, Leon. You've been gone for years. A lot of shit you wouldn't believe went down. Nobody wants to rehash any of it, so don't push it."

"He died a hero," Mia said to sooth Leon. "That's what is most important."

"You're right," Leon nodded. "Good to see you're still the voice of reason, Mia."

"Something things don't change," she smiled.

"You guys still racing?"

"Race wars," Dom said. "Trying to walk the straight path lately."

"There's a guy who's big in Palm Springs right now. Word is he's heading here real soon."

"Any idea who?" Brian asked.

"Nah, he sends people to do his shit. Stays behind the scenes."

"Sounds like Braga," Letty said. Dom tensed at the name.

"It's not," Brian said definitely. "He's in solitary after the first Shaw incident."

"We'll worry about it if we have to," Mia said as she shifted Jack in her lap, looking specifically at Brian. "We walked away, remember?"

"Of course," Brian said, kissing the top of her head. "I'm sure it's nothing. Probably some street kid trying to make a name for himself."

"As long as he's not remotely related to the Shaw family, I couldn't give a shit," Roman said. "Saves me from becoming an Eskimo."

"Uncle Roman said a bad word," Jack whispered to his parents, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I think we're going to have to start a swear jar," Mia said, glaring at Roman. "Maybe if you lose your money you'll learn not to swear in front of my very impressionable son."

"He'll have a nice college fund," Brian said with a smirk.

"Man, he already has a nice college fund!" Roman complained. "You could send him to Harvard and it wouldn't make a dent in your bank account."

"Now I gotta know what you guys have been up to," Leon said with a laugh.


	7. Intel

Brian was sitting at their kitchen island, staring into his cup of coffee when Mia walked in and she realized he didn't even notice she was there.

"You're a million miles away," she said as she leaned on the island and startled him out of his daze. "What's up?"

"Just trying to think things out," he sighed, taking a sip of his now cold coffee. "A lot of the past is coming back. I just hope it stays with Leon and Monica."

"You think Leon is up to something?"

"Hard to say," Brian shrugged. "He still thinks it's 2001. I don't know what to make of any of it."

"Hobbes hasn't gotten back to me on Monica," Mia said and Brian's eyebrow went up, giving her a questioning look. "What? So I wanted to know why she was here, big deal. I figured Hobbes would be the best person to ask."

"What happened to not worrying about her until we have to?" Brian asked with a smirk.

"This was before I said that," she rolled her eyes as she moved away from the island. "Besides, it doesn't hurt to have some intel on the enemy. I learned from the best, Agent O'Conner."

"Ex-Agent O'Conner," he said as he stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"Yeah, but agent sounds hotter than ex-con," she said as she turned around and placed her hands on his shoulders. "You looked sexy in that suit and earpiece while you creepily watched me at Letty's funeral."

"Really now?"

"Not that I ever would have admitted it then."

"Would have been a nice thank you for getting you out of holding."

"Hey, I didn't even want to see you but I wanted to knock out your little buddy Stasiak," Mia said, going to move away from Brian's embrace but he wouldn't let her.

"Stasiak was not my buddy. I smashed his face into the concrete wall when he flipped out because I released you. You're welcome."

"You're an ass," she laughed as she rested her head on his chest. "I'm glad we can look back and laugh at it all."

"Me too," he said, kissing the top of her head. The two of them stood in each others arms, silently enjoying just being together. The silence didn't last very long once Sofia started crying.

"Someone is hungry," Mia sighed, reluctantly moving away from Brian. "I'll go feed her."

"I'd offer to do it, but I told Dom I'd meet him down at the garage to start planning it out."

"See you later," she said, quickly kissing him on the cheek. Brian, however, wasn't having that as he pulled her in for a longer kiss.

"I love you," he said when he pulled away.

"Love you too," she smiled.

* * *

 

Brian was the last person to arrive at the garage. Tej, Roman and Dom were already looking around and deciding on what would be best.

"Look who finally decided to show up," Roman said.

"Sofia started crying," Brian said. "What have you guys been talking about?"

"How everything needs a massive upgrade," Tej said. "And how we might need to bring a little Miami to LA."

"How would we do that?"

"I'd host some street races again. Get back in on that cash flow, get customers into the garage."

"So much for the straight life," Dom said with a smirk. "If any of us get arrested, Mia will be out for blood."

"I'm sure Brian can get her to come around to the dark side," Roman said with a wink. "We'll even let her race."

"She'll beat your ass any day of the week," Brian said proudly. "She can handle her own in a race."

"She's a Toretto," Dom said simply.

"Her and Brian have that switcheroo move down pat," Tej said. "That's the sign of a soulmate there."

"If I knew how hot Mia was when we were in Miami, I would have kicked your ass for even looking at Fuentes," Roman said off-handedly as he scrolled through his phone.

"Yeah, sure," Brian shook his head. "Dom, can we talk?"

"Yeah," he nodded, following Brian into the office. "What is it?"

"What's your take on Leon?" Brian asked and noticed the look that crossed Dom's face. "You know him longer and better than any of us. It's odd that he came back now of all times."

"You didn't trust Vince."

"With good reason. He got us into that mess in the first place."

"He saved Mia, died helping us, and if he didn't get us into that mess we wouldn't have the cash we have now," Dom said, crossing his arms across his chest. "We trust him until he gives us reason not to."

"I just don't want that reason to come when it's too late to do anything," Brian said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It'll be my problem then."

"It's never your problem, Dom. It always turns into our problem."

"If you didn't make that call in Rio to take the job, maybe we never would have had to deal with any of that."

"You were just praising Vince for making us millionaires, you're kidding me right?"

"I'll deal with Leon," Dom said with finality. " He still sees you as the cop who turned us in, he's not going to trust you."

"That was years ago. They all need to move the fuck on," Brian said as he walked out of the office. "What is he doing here?"

"No idea," Tej shrugged. "He just showed up."

"I didn't think this place was still standing," Leon said as he looked around. "You thinking of reopening?"

"Yeah, as a family," Roman said. "Trying to settle back in to LA."

"You're family?" Leon said in disbelief. "I mean, yeah you were at the barbecue, but that doesn't officially make you family."

"We've endured a little more than Sunday dinners, bro," Tej said.

"What made you come here of all places?" Brian asked suspiciously.

"Just visiting the old stomping grounds. I used to be here all the time, until you showed up. Everything went down hill from there," Leon said, glaring at Brian.

"I don't know about that. Things seem pretty good for us now."

"I never understood what Mia saw in you. Maybe she just stuck around because you knocked her up. I'm sure she still sees you the way everyone else sees you: a scumbag cop who turned in her brother and ruined everything we had going."

"I don't think so," Brian said. He really wanted to punch him.

"Enough," Dom said, seeing the two men getting closer and ready for a fight. "Brian, go home to Mia. Leon, in here."

"Yeah sure," Brian said, brushing past Leon as he walked out. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number of someone he wasn't sure would be too thrilled about his call. "It's O'Conner. Listen, I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

* * *

 

"Hobbes, are you busy?" Elena asked after knocking on his door. "Hershfeld pulled the information you requested."

"And?"

"Monica Fuentes looks clean," she told him, placing the file on his desk. "I don't see any reason why she would be here to go after Brian and ."

"She went back to Customs after she didn't get picked for the Shaw op?" Hobbes said as he went through the paperwork. "She's been pretty low-key ever since."

"Maybe she wanted a lighter load, less stress?"

"Maybe," he said, but wasn't entirely convinced. "We'll keep looking, but we'll keep it on the down low. Also, I want information on anyone Brian or any one of them were involved with getting them sent to prison. Shaw is still locked up in his little box, but I want medical updates on his brother. Get me everything."


	8. Preparations

When she was thirteen, Mia started thinking about getting married. She envisioned having a huge wedding at a beautiful catering hall overflowing with friends and family. She pictured herself walking down the aisle in the church she was baptized in, wearing a dress that made her feel like a princess as she made her way toward the man she was going to marry.

Most of her plan had changed over the years. As her wedding date approaches, she does not have a big, poofy dress and they did not rent out a catering hall. Instead, their family is coming back to her and Brian's house for the "reception". She doesn't have as many friends as she thought she would, but she supposes that comes with the life she chose. The one thing she was adamant on was getting married in the church her family attended for years. St. Cecila's was a magnificent church that Mia always dreamt she would be able to walk down the aisle in. She called Monsignor Orelas to find out what they needed to do to get married in the church.

"What the fuck is pre-cana?" Brian asked when Mia told him what she wanted. "What happened to getting married on the beach?"

"I never thought I'd be able to come home and get married in the church I grew up in," Mia said, placing her hands on her hips. "It's like classes we have to go to before we can get married there."

"What could they possibly teach us?"

"I don't know," she huffed. "But we're doing it. My dad grew up in that church and I know he'd want to see me get married there. I didn't ask for much for this wedding, but I want this, Brian."

"Okay," Brian said, putting his hands up. He's never been a religious person so he didn't think of having a church wedding, especially since all he wants is the woman standing in front of him right now. "We'll go for the classes. How much longer until I can call you my wife?"

"Well, they say it requires a six month preparation," she said as she stepped closer to him and began to toy with the hem of his t-shirt. "However, Monsignor Orelas said if we generously donate to the church, he'd fudge the date and give us three months."

"How generous do we have to be for him to give us a month?"

"Three months is perfect," Mia said, kissing him quickly. "I'll go call him."

"Marriage is a sacred bond that welcomes you as a couple into God's home," Deacon Alec, the person running the class, preached. Brian was trying not to doze off as Mia listened. "Deciding to get married is not something to take lightly. You will be forever joined with this person. At this time, we would like each couple to discuss if there are things that have been held back."

"I'm holding back from completely falling asleep," Brian whispered as he and Mia moved to a corner spot in the room.

"Stop," she laughed. "It's not that bad."

"You're lucky I love you so much," he told her. "I haven't been in a church since my confirmation. I'm surprised I didn't burst into flames the minute I walked in here."

"Very funny," she rolled her eyes. "Any deep dark secrets you need to tell me, Mr. O'Conner?"

"I was a cop who was supposed to turn in your brother but you turned me to the dark side and I ended up on the FBI's Most Wanted list," Brian deadpanned and heard a gasp from the couple a few feet away. "Kidding."

"I knew that already," she whispered. "Anything I don't know?"

"You know everything, Mia."

"I don't know about your family, you don't talk about them."

"Not much to talk about," he shrugged. "My dad left me and my mom when I was young, I don't really remember him. My mom worked and drank a lot. I was always in trouble."

"What made you become a cop if you were always in trouble?"

"Dunno," he said honestly. "I guess I figured it was I entered the academy or eventually get sent to prison. Guess I could say I ended up doing both."

"I regret not finishing my nursing degree," Mia told him. "I started going for classes when you left and Dom was on the run. I needed something to keep me focused, but it got expensive and then everything happened. I'd probably have to start all over again if I wanted to go back."

"You should," Brian told her. "You can go back."

"How? We have two kids, we're reopening the diner and the garage. There's a lot going on right now."

"You're applying to schools when we get home," he said with a nod. "I'll stay home more. Dom won't need me, he'll understand."

"Really?"

"You gave up so much to be with me. I owe you," he said, kissing her hands. "Speaking of being with me, why did you have a rule not to date your brothers friends?"

"Seriously?" she gave him a look. "That's just common sense. It keeps my brother from losing his temper and me from losing mine. Why?"

"Since we have to be honest here," he rolled his eyes. "I was always curious if you and Vince had a thing before we met. He was so into you, I figured something happened and then you came up with your rule."

"You thought me and Vince slept together," she said and he nodded. "Never. Vince knew me since I was three. We grew up together, and I think he hoped what happened with Letty and Dom would have happened with him and me. Then you came along and totally squashed his dreams."

"Can't say I'm sorry," Brian smirked. "I wonder what all these other couples are talking about."

"Probably how much student loan debt they've kept secret from one another," Mia snorted. "Nothing remotely close to the problems we've had, yet they seem just as big to them."

"That will be all for today," Deacon Alec announced. "Tomorrow will be the last session. At the end you will receive a ticket of completion that you will bring to the church you wish to marry at. Have a lovely afternoon."

On their way back, Mia got a text from Hobbes asking to have everyone meet at Dom's house. He didn't say why, but she could only assume it had to do with Monica's reappearance. Brian and Mia were the last ones to get there.

"Mommy!" Jack squealed as he ran from Dom's leg over to Mia. She had asked Letty to watch the kids. Sofia was sleeping peacefully in Letty's arms.

"What news do you have?" Brian asked, wanting to get straight to business.

"I have intel on the big player in Palm Springs," Hobbes said. "Recently released out of South Bay Correctional Facility in Florida."

"Oh shit," Brian said, looking over at Roman who looked like he lost his appetite.

"Who is this guy?" Dom asked.

"Carter Verone," Hobbes told him. Brian felt his stomach drop.

"He's going to kill me, you said it, O'Conner," Roman freaked out, pacing back and forth. "Why is he out so soon?"

"It's been about ten years, Rome," Brian said. "I didn't think he'd bother us when he got out."

"We don't know where Fuentes fits into all of this yet," Hobbes told them. "She went back to Customs after DSS. She hasn't done anything high-profile."

"She wouldn't risk going back undercover with Verone. He almost killed her."

"I told you she was a crazy-ass bitch," Roman shouted. "She was into it when he was about to let that rat chew through that cop's stomach. She flipped, she had to. That's the only reason why she's here. Now I have to worry about Verone shoving his fancy cigar cutter up my ass before shooting me in the head."

"We don't know anything for sure," Hobbes repeated. "I'm still looking into it, but it's hard when you don't want to raise any red flags."

"Thank you," Mia said. "We'll figure something out. We always do."

"If he moves and we know about it, you will be the first to know," Hobbes promised before leaving.

Brian sat down at the table and rested his head in his hands, trying to process the fact that Carter Verone was released and came to California of all places, and somehow Monica fits into this.

"We don't do anything until we have to," Dom told everyone. "We need to first know what side Monica is on before we make any moves."

"His side!" Roman shouted before walking into the house for food.

"Do you think she flipped?" Dom asked Brian.

"I don't know," Brian said honestly. "Being undercover really fucks with your sense of judgment. I'm the perfect example. She had no problem taking down Verone in Miami, though."

"So maybe she's still with the good guys," Tej said. "I'll see what I can find."

"Looks like it's your turn to let the past bite us all in the ass, buster," Letty said as she gave him Sofia when she started waking up.

"Thanks," he grunted as he took his daughter. "I won't let it happen."

"I guess the time to worry about Monica has come," Mia said, looking at Brian from across the table.

"Unfortunately," he sighed.

**Author's Note:**

> I just love Mia and Brian as a couple so much, and I'm very upset that Paul Walker is no longer with us to continue the movies. They did a fantastic job with Fast & Furious 7 though. Anyway, let me know what you think of this!
> 
> EDIT: This story was previously posted as a series because I figured they could be read separately, but I'm going to try to make this more into a story with an actual plot so I changed it into a chapter story.


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